Kozhikode: One of the firebrand women leaders of the CPM, K.K. Shylaja Teacher is entering the cabinet after a thumping victory against agriculture minister K.P Mohanan in his citadel of Kuthuparamba, facing a stiff challenge from BJP’s Sadanandan Master.
The teacher who represented Kuthuparamba earlier in 1996 and Peravoor in 2006 came up in politics with the party's student and youth wings. She was SFI leader at Matannur Pazhassi Raja College. She was noted for her stand for protecting the rights of women in the Assembly during her tenure as MLA. In 2011 elections, she lost to Sunny Joseph in Peravoor.
Presently the secretary of All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) state unit and a member of CPM Central Committee, she became active in politics after resigning as a teacher at Sivapuram High School, Kannur, in 2004 with seven years of service remaining. When the school lost an excellent physics and English teacher, the state got a strong woman leader.
She was also DYFI state committee member and AIDWA district secretary. She was a member of Social Welfare Board and Legislative Assembly Committee for Women and Children Welfare. She is also the editor of Sthreeshabdham magazine. Mattannur Municipality chairperson and former DYFI district secretary K. Bhaskaran is her husband. The couple has two sons - Shobith and Lasith, both engineers.
